Driving Accidents, Driving Violations, Symptoms of Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity (ADHD) and Attentional Network Tasks

Seyed Hojjat Zamani Sani, Zahra Fathirezaie, Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani, Georgian Badicu, Safyeh Ebrahimi, Robert Wilhelm Grosz, Dena Sadeghi Bahmani and Serge Brand
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Seyed Hojjat Zamani Sani: Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran
Zahra Fathirezaie: Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran
Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani: Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran
Georgian Badicu: Department of Physical Education and Special Motricity, Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500068 Braşov, Romania
Safyeh Ebrahimi: Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran
Robert Wilhelm Grosz: Department of Physical Education and Special Motricity, Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500068 Braşov, Romania
Dena Sadeghi Bahmani: Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Adult Psychiatric Clinics (UPKE), University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
Serge Brand: Center for Affective, Stress and Sleep Disorders (ZASS), Adult Psychiatric Clinics (UPKE), University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Background: Iran has serious problems with traffic-related injuries and death. A major reason for traffic accidents is cognitive failure due to deficits in attention. In this study, we investigated the associations between traffic violations, traffic accidents, symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), age, and on an attentional network task in a sample of Iranian adults. Methods: A total of 274 participants (mean age: 31.37 years; 80.7% males) completed questionnaires covering demographic information, driving violations, traffic accidents, and symptoms of ADHD. In addition, they underwent an objective attentional network task (ANT), based on Posner’s concept of attentional networks. Results: More frequent traffic violations, correlated with lower age and poorer performance on the attentional network tasks. Higher symptoms of ADHD were associated with more accidents and more traffic violations, but not with the performance of the attentional tasks. Higher ADHD scores, a poorer performance on attentional network tasks, and younger age predicted traffic violations. Only higher symptoms of ADHD predicted more traffic accidents. Conclusions: In a sample of Iranian drivers, self-rated symptoms of ADHD appeared to be associated with traffic violations and accidents, while symptoms of ADHD were unrelated to objectively assessed performance on an attentional network task. Poor attentional network performance was a significant predictor of traffic violations but not of accidents. To increase traffic safety, both symptoms of ADHD and attentional network performance appear to merit particular attention.

Keywords: driving behavior; attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD); attentional network task; age; traffic accidents; traffic violations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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